Yang Yitian let out a few screams, then fell silent, utterly extinguished—everyone knew he was finished.

When the flames dissipated, a weary Huofeng appeared. Her delicate eyebrows were tightly furrowed, her eyes vacant, as if she had expended too much energy; even the aura surrounding her felt scattered.

Upon realizing Ji Changkong possessed the "Source Fire," Yuan Bo ceased his futile struggles and did not press the attack. As Huofeng’s delicate figure materialized from the flames, Yuan Bo sighed, "Why bother? The family was hesitant about pursuing you; given your profound realm, you would have been an asset. But now that you’ve killed him, the family will certainly show no mercy. Miss Feng, you should leave Fire Prison Star quickly; you know the reach of the family."

Yuan Bo made no move against Huofeng; instead, he urged her to depart Fire Prison Star soon. This took Ji Changkong entirely by surprise.

Huofeng, with a noticeable effort, approached Ji Changkong. Her beautiful eyes swept over him, and she murmured, "Help someone to the end; take me away from the auction house."

"Little Feng'er, come with me!" Lei Ming suddenly grew agitated, shouting loudly, "If you come with me, I guarantee the Zu family won't trouble you. Once you become my wife, you belong to my Thunder God Mountain. The Yang family won't dare cause trouble for you because of my Thunder God Mountain, Little Feng'er..."

"Let's go." Huofeng didn't even glance at him, merely urging Ji Changkong in a low voice.

At this moment, her body seemed incredibly weak, as if all the vast essence within her had been utterly drained, even her soul ocean appeared barren, lending her an appearance of fragility. In this state, Huofeng lacked her usual arrogance and haughtiness, appearing instead somewhat delicate and powerless.

Ji Changkong nodded gently, stepped forward, and took hold of her smooth arm. He shook the bell, recalling the bone skeleton, then spurred the immense tidal wave of energy within him, transforming into a streak of lightning that vanished instantly.

After the two disappeared, the smoke enveloping the auction house gradually cleared. Yang Yitian seemed to have been reduced to ash; Yuan Bo couldn't even locate a corpse. He shook his head and commanded, "Clean up the auction house. I need to report what happened."

Lei Ming stood frozen, a bitter smile twisting his face, utterly dejected.

"Young Master Lei Ming, do you know what type of 'Source Fire' that person possessed?" Yuan Bo suddenly became alert and asked Lei Ming.

Lei Ming snapped out of his despair, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "It is none of the 'Source Fires' I am familiar with!"

"Mm, I feel the same way." Yuan Bo considered for a moment, then continued, "Based on my analysis, he must be using a new 'Source Fire' born from the fusion of two 'Source Fires.' If I'm not mistaken, one of those 'Source Fires' should be the 'Blaze Thunder Sacred Fire.' You should know the value of the 'Blaze Thunder Sacred Fire' to our Yang family and your Thunder God Mountain, shouldn't you?"

Lei Ming's eyes lit up thoughtfully. "If this news gets out, many people in both the Yang family and our Thunder God Mountain might not be able to sit still, right?"

"I will definitely report this news," Yuan Bo declared. "It seems that kid's troubles are about to begin."

"I hope he leaves Fire Prison Star soon, otherwise, he will be found sooner or later. Not to mention he destroyed Mang Ao's demon body; the Dragon Python King won't let him off either."

"His trouble is indeed immense."

Inside a cave sealed by rock, Huofeng’s delicate body lay soft against the ground, her expression listless. The small crimson bird perched on her shoulder was equally lethargic, resting quietly without movement.

"You don't need to worry about me. Your help today settles any debt between us," Huofeng looked up at him, weak. "That old rogue was at the Ruyi Realm of cultivation. Though he achieved that realm by relying on the family's medicinal support and special methods, I still paid a price to slay him. But don't worry, I’ll be fine; I can recover completely in a few years."

Ji Changkong remained silent, frowning, deep in thought.

"Why were you at the auction house?" Huofeng paused for a moment, seeing he wasn't rushing to leave, and spoke again.

"Raising funds. I need to find someone. Through the Wind Media, I learned the An family has the capability, but their fee is too high—ten thousand Yuan Crystals. I don't have enough crystals, so..."

"Hmph!" Huofeng let out a cold sneer. "Is it that Ice Slave from the Shang family?"

Ji Changkong nodded, making no denial.

"Is she your former lover?" Huofeng raised an eyebrow.

Ji Changkong nodded again.

"No need to look for the An family. I roughly know where she is." Huofeng took a breath, hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly admitted.

"You know?" Ji Changkong exclaimed in surprise.

"Do you know what happened in the Upper World of the Earth Core after that Life Vortex collapsed?" Huofeng didn't answer immediately, instead bringing up that matter.

He had always been curious about the conditions of the Earth Core World. Seeing Huofeng take the initiative, Ji Changkong followed up, "What happened?"

"After the Life Vortex collapsed, the Earth Core World underwent massive changes. The Heaven and Earth power within the Earth Core World became less dense, many spiritual resources withered, and the world experienced tremendous tremors. Even the territories of the Ice Tribe and the Flame Demon Tribe became intermingled, making it impossible for them to continue cultivating peacefully in the Earth Core World."

"Afterward, Gu Di of the Augustus family awakened, and the Blood Tribe began retaliating against the Ice Tribe and the Flame Demon Tribe. Because their territories were mixed, neither tribe could exert their full strength. The Ice Emperor of the Ice Tribe and the Fire God of the Flame Demon Tribe joined forces to confront Gu Di, barely managing to fend off the Blood Tribe's revenge."

"Xiao Han and I searched the area where you vanished for some time, but we found no trace of you. Gu Di, the Ice Tribe, and the Fire God were engaged in constant battles for the Earth Core World, leaving it devastated. Seeing the situation turn dire, Xiao Han and I left the Earth Core World."

"Not long after, we heard that the Sky-Piercing Ghost Mother of the Purgatory Ghost Tribe appeared. With the arrival of the Sky-Piercing Ghost Mother, the Ice Tribe and the Flame Demon Tribe faced utter annihilation. Except for the Ice Emperor escaping through a secret technique, everyone else was killed. Since then, the Augustus family of the Blood Tribe has also disappeared."

"Xiao Han guessed that if you were still alive, you would certainly head to Heaven South Star to search for information about that Ice Slave you cared about. Then she learned that the Ice Slave and Shang Lingyu had come to Fire Prison Star, so Xiao Han also came to Fire Prison Star, intending to capture the Ice Slave to blackmail you. Xiao Han was originally from the Shang family, and she knew the Shang family's contact methods well. If nothing unexpected happened, the Ice Slave should be in Xiao Han's hands now."

"You know where Xiao Han is?" Ji Changkong let out a cold snort.

"Xuanbing Island in the Golden Sea. That is the coldest place on Fire Prison Star. Xiao Han has recently been practicing a secret technique she acquired from an expert of the Ice Tribe. If there are no surprises, she will be utilizing the cold energy of Xuanbing Island to cultivate," Huofeng confessed after some hesitation.

Xuanbing Island? Ji Changkong repeated the name silently in his mind, then said, "You’ll be alright, won't you? I imagine the Yang family won't let you off. Are you confident you can evade their pursuit?"

"None of your business!" Huofeng scoffed coldly.

Stung, Ji Changkong felt a bit awkward. He nodded. "Then forget it. Take care of yourself, and it’s best if you leave Fire Prison Star early."

"Mind your own business! If I die, I die. I've already gotten my revenge anyway!" Huofeng retorted stubbornly.

"Why don't you come with me?" Ji Changkong sighed inwardly. He felt Huofeng was rather pitiful, especially in her current state.

"I have lost all my essence, no different from an ordinary person. Being with you would only be a burden. Aren't you bothered by that?" Huofeng’s eyes flickered with a bit of light, but her demeanor remained less than welcoming.

"It's fine; it’s just taking one more person—how much trouble can that be?" Ji Changkong smiled, reached out to tease the little bird on her shoulder, and casually asked, "I've always been curious what this little bird of yours is. Can you tell me?"

"Phoenix," Huofeng replied reluctantly after a pause.

"Phoenix? Hahaha!" Ji Changkong burst out laughing, pointing at the bird. "It's a phoenix? Is that what a phoenix looks like?"

"Is it that funny?" Huofeng’s expression shifted again.

The little bird seemed to understand his mockery; it angrily flew off Huofeng’s shoulder, flapping its tiny wings fiercely in front of him, making a gesture as if to bare its claws and teeth. However, it was so small, and its appearance inherently non-threatening, that its aggressive display only looked endearing.

"Uh, I was just curious. The phoenix I know isn't supposed to look like this," Ji Changkong gave a dry laugh, then turned serious. "Why is your little bird so friendly towards me? I remember when I first saw you, this bird was extremely curious about me. Why is that?"

"You ask me? Who do I ask?" Huofeng was also baffled, murmuring, "Who knows what's going on? It's clinging to you more affectionately than it does to me, hmph. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have bothered looking at you twice back then. At that time, I could have annihilated you with a mere wave of my hand, if it hadn't been because of..."

Ji Changkong’s expression suddenly turned strange. A thought sparked, and with a shift of his consciousness, a drop of crimson blood squeezed out onto his palm. He beckoned towards the little bird. "Little fellow, come here, swallow this drop of my blood."